1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus and an information processing apparatus which enable a user to easily and safely remove a removable electronic device, such as a modular removable hard disk, from the apparatus or replace such a device with another device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with the advent of the Internet and e mails transmitted and received via the Internet, personal computers have become widely diffused at a rapidly increasing rate as a means for accessing the Internet and for transmitting and receiving e mails, as well as a means for sharing information and improving productivity in offices. On the other hand, manufacturers of personal computers have had to manufacture many different models in order to accommodate the diversifying user needs. Furthermore, electronic devices, such as hard disks and CD-ROM drives that are used in personal computers, are upgraded constantly and can quickly become outdated. For these reasons, removable hard disks, which can be removed from personal computers, have been proposed. Furthermore, modular electronic devices have been proposed for use in personal computers, so that the users would be able to easily replace such modular electronic devices.
Such a prior art technology, however, faces a problem. That is, with a modular electronic device such as a hard disk, which is designed to allow a user to easily remove the electronic device from a personal computer and replace it with another electronic device, the user, for example, may inadvertently remove the hard disk from the personal computer while the hard disk is in operation, which may lead to unfavorable results.